This New Pizza Shop Is Hidden Behind A Back Alley In The Ukrainian Village • Pizza Friendly Pizza

Pie Hard Pizza Lovers, we may have just found your new favorite spot!

And it’s Pizza Friendly Pizza, the latest addition to the Chicago dining scene! This awesome new pizza shop will be serving Sicilian-style slices out of its walk-up window hidden in a back alley in Ukrainian Village. Like, literally, it’s right in the back alley behind The Empty Bottle’s venue.

A venture by chef Noah Sandoval (Oriole, Kumiko and Kikko) and Bruce Finkelman, managing partner of 16″ on Center hospitality collective, Pizza Friendly Pizza is located in the former spot of the popular Bite Cafe. After experiencing the impact the pandemic has had on the restaurant industry, Finkleman and long-time friend Sandoval decided it was time to reinvent the 28-year-old Bite Cafe, giving way to this new urban pizza oasis.

This back-alley shop is not your average-pizza-spot however. The former Bite Café has now been transformed to resemble a gritty old-school tattoo parlor, complete with hand-painted murals by Tre’ Jorgensen, creative director of 16″ on Center, and a grungy patio with luscious dangling plants and twinkling lights.

While we love ourselves a totally cool patio, it’s their stunning Sicilian-style ‘za that steals the show. At Pizza Friendly Pizza, you’ll be able to enjoy their specialty pizzas with thick, focaccia-like crust by the slice ($4.50) or if you’re feeling especially peckish, you can choose to take home the whole pie for $26.50. The pizza shop offers four delectable combinations including charred rapini with burrata and lemon; Ezzo’s pepperoni with gooey fresh mozzarella and basil; mushroom, burrata and Calabrian chili; and a special vegan option.

Pizza Friendly Pizza also offers three mouth-watering sandwich options (chicken parmesan, Italian cold cuts and rapini with taleggio, all between $12 and $14) and some delectable sides, including fried eggplant with giardiniera aioli and a mixed green salad with peaches and gorgonzola ($10). Their drink menu also offers a wide variety of options including, The Pizzaberry Tonic ($8), an alcohol-free cocktail created by renowned bartender Julia Momose (Kumikko) featuring Tasmanian pepperberries, gentian, angelica root along with herbs and spices from Sandoval’s pizzas!

Pizza Friendly Pizza is making its debut in Ukrainian Village on Wednesday, July 27, and will open every Wednesday through Sunday from 4:30 pm until 10:30 pm.